Double negative labeling

I promise this blog is not turning into one that just finds fault with grammar and usage (plenty exist already), but I couldn’t help myself.

Here we have Glutino brand Sans Gluten Free Wafer Cookies. While they taste really quite good, I was a little nervous because if it’s “without gluten free,” I suppose that would mean the cookies actually did contain gluten, which I’ve been strictly avoiding for nearly 11 months now.

I realize that this instance is almost certainly due to the bilingual nature of this packaging (Glutino is a Canadian brand), but still. On the side of the box, it’s much clearer, where it says: “SANS GLUTEN/BLE • GLUTEN/WHEAT FREE.” See, it’s not actually that difficult to communicate clearly, is it?

2 responses to “Double negative labeling”

Interesting. They must assume people who speak French don’t speak English and vice versa. I’m glad to hear they’re good though! I’ve tried a few items that were Sans Gluten Free and they were also Sans Taste Free!

It’s not so much about assumptions as it is a legal issue; all packaging in Canada must have bilingual labels, since we’ve got two official languages. I don’t even notice the French unless I’m looking for it.

Sometime’s it’s fun to compare the two texts, since things don’t always get said the way you’d expect. Case in point: I once had a face-scrub that was called a “désencroustillant” in French — literally, a de-encruster. Makes you think about your face a little differently!